


To Beard Or Not To Beard

by Ignisentis



Series: Beautiful, Quivering, Chivalrous Shambles [5]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: An Incredible Amount of Softness, M/M, Starring Yusuf's Dimples, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignisentis/pseuds/Ignisentis
Summary: “I’ve had a beard since I could grow one. It feels strange without it now,” Yusuf gripes, rubbing his hand slowly across his face. He flaps his hand as he moves it away. “Well, it’s gone now, at any rate. What do you think?”Nicolò looks over at him, the fading light painting Yusuf in beautiful dull oranges, and freezes. Yusuf is looking at him expectantly, eyebrow slightly raised, a small smile curling at his lips.A small smile that’s making his dimples stand out. Because apparently Yusuf has *dimples.*
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Beautiful, Quivering, Chivalrous Shambles [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991572
Comments: 32
Kudos: 265





	To Beard Or Not To Beard

**Author's Note:**

> Do I know that the title of this fic is a wholly ridiculous pun? Yes.
> 
> Do I care? Also yes, but I thought about it and couldn't unthink it, so here we are.
> 
> This one's for the Discord!

Nicolò is downstream from their riverbank campsite, working on washing blood stains from their tunics, when he hears Yusuf shout in distress. He throws the clothing down on some rocks and picks up his sword, praying as he runs that Yusuf hasn’t been harmed. Though he knows Yusuf will heal, he still hates seeing him injured.

He gets back to their camp in time to dispatch the last of Yusuf’s ambushers. He casts his gaze wildly around the campsite, searching for Yusuf. He finds him kneeling by the river, groaning in what sounds like a great deal of pain.

“Yusuf!” he shouts, casting his sword aside and hastening toward the river. He skids onto his knees and stops beside Yusuf, grasping his shoulder to push him upright so he can see where Yusuf is injured.

“Where are you hurt? Is it bad?” he asks, panicked. There is blood on Yusuf’s clothing, but nothing big enough to have come from a massive injury. Perhaps he broke some ribs. Those always hurt horribly until they heal.

“I’m fine, Nicolò, I’m uninjured,” Yusuf says, his face turned slightly away.

Nicolò frowns. “I heard your shout. You sounded pained.”

Yusuf huffs in frustration. “I am pained. But not because I was injured. They attacked while I was trimming my beard.”

Nicolò’s frown deepens. “I...still do not understand.”

Yusuf sighs heavily and turns his face so Nicolò can see it. Nicolò can feel his eyes widen and his mouth open in surprise as he looks at Yusuf fully: one side of his beard is almost completely shorn while the other side remains untouched. He looks ridiculous, and Nicolò raises a hand to his mouth in order to cover the laugh threatening to work its way up from his belly.

Yusuf rolls his eyes and huffs. “Oh, go ahead and laugh,” he says, shaking his head as a smile tugs at his lips. “I know I look foolish, I saw myself in the river.”

“You could never look foolish, but you do look somewhat lopsided,” Nicolò teases.

“Half of my face is suddenly much cooler. It’s actually quite refreshing.”

“Perhaps you could start a new summer fashion. Behold, the cooling properties of the half beard!”

Yusuf laughs and reaches over to shove playfully at Nicolò. “If anyone could pull it off it would be me,” he says archly, holding his head up proudly like some sort of prince.

Nicolò’s smile softens. “You could,” he says truthfully, fondness wrapping itself around his heart.

Yusuf beams at Nicolò before changing his pose to look even more princely. Nicolò laughs and laughs.

“Ugh,” Yusuf grumps as he flops down beside Nicolò next to their fire. Once they’d cleared away the bodies of their attackers and moved campsites, Yusuf had had just enough daylight left to fully shave while Nicolò had started cooking their dinner over the fire.

“I’ve had a beard since I could grow one. It feels strange without it now,” Yusuf gripes, rubbing his hand slowly across his face. He flaps his hand as he moves it away. “Well, it’s gone now, at any rate. What do you think?”

Nicolò looks over at him, the fading light painting Yusuf in beautiful dull oranges, and freezes. Yusuf is looking at him expectantly, eyebrow slightly raised, a small smile curling at his lips. 

A small smile that’s making his dimples stand out. Because  _ apparently _ Yusuf has  _ dimples.  _ Massive, long,  _ gorgeous _ dimples, a slash down each of his cheeks, so deep they show up with barely any prodding. So deep they’re like canyons on Yusuf’s beautiful face, the perfect complement to Yusuf’s heartbreaking sunshine smile.

Nicolò has never been more thankful for a shaving mishap.

And the thing is...the thing  _ is, _ Nicolò has been in love with Yusuf for months and months now, ever since Yusuf stopped looking at him in anger and started looking at him as a travel companion, then a regular companion, and then a friend. Since Yusuf started treating him with patience and care, since he let himself really notice how handsome Yusuf is, how kind, how empathetic. How much love he holds in his heart for the world and the people in it.

The fact that after all this time spent together, practically attached at the hip, there are still new things to discover about Yusuf blows him away. He’s in awe of the man next to him, the handsome man who looks achingly young with his face closely shaved. Nicolò feels pinned in place, thunderstruck. He  _ yearns. _

Which is why, perhaps, he reaches out and places his thumb over one of Yusuf’s dimples, letting the rest of his hand curl around to tenderly cup Yusuf’s face and neck. Yusuf sucks in a breath and goes still.

“You have dimples,” Nicolò whispers, slowly tracing one with his thumb.

“I do,” Yusuf whispers back.

“I never knew before.”

Yusuf’s smile widens, which makes his dimples deepen. Nicolò smiles too as he gently moves his thumb back and forth and —

He freezes when his brain finally kicks in and he realizes what he’s doing and oh. Oh, no, he’s — he’s  _ touching _ Yusuf, and — he didn’t even  _ ask, _ he just reached out — 

Nicolò panics as adrenaline surges through him, his stomach dropping to his feet. His eyes widen as he looks away from Yusuf’s dimples and into his eyes. Yusuf is concerned now, eyebrows knit together in confusion. Nicolò flushes so hard his cheeks feel like they’re aflame.

He tries to pull his wrist away but Yusuf is faster and catches him, his long fingers wrapping themselves around Nicolò’s forearm. He looks Nicolò in the eye as he slowly turns his head so he can press a feather-light kiss to the sensitive skin on the inside of Nicolò’s wrist.

Nicolò shudders, so Yusuf, emboldened, does it again. And then again. The fourth time Nicolò gasps and surges forward, pushing Yusuf down to the ground and settling on top of him. Yusuf laughs, surprised and bright, and Nicolò smiles as he leans down to kiss Yusuf.

Some days later, they’re lying together near the fire, naked underneath the blankets. Yusuf is running his hand up and down Nicolò’s flank while Nicolò tries to trace the dimples beneath his short beard.

“You look sinfully handsome with a beard, Yusuf, but it means I can’t see these.”

“Which would you prefer, my heart?”

Nicolò hums. “I’m torn asunder and can’t decide.”

Yusuf leans in to nuzzle his nose against Nicolò’s. “Perhaps I will grow only half a beard, then, so you may have both of your hearts’ desires. I hear that is quite fashionable these days.”

Nicolò giggles and wraps his leg over Yusuf’s to bring him closer. “Who told you that? Some knave, I warrant.”

“Mmm, yes, he was a knave.  _ My _ knave, now,” Yusuf says, pressing a kiss to Nicolò’s cheek.

“He is,” Nicolò agrees, still touching Yusuf’s dimples as he closes the distance between them.


End file.
